Borderlands

post-apocalypse point-of-light

Destruction

The equal and opposite of Creation is Destruction, also known as Entropy. It is a religion of endings and change. Followers are sometimes known as Changers, Destroyers, Upheavers, or Enders, but most prefer title such as “Agents of Change”.

Major Churches

Scales of Balance (Good, Unaligned): Scalites believe in correcting inequality between the races and social classes. They work towards advancing the poor and ending slavery. They believe social change must come before other change.

The Faceless (Unaligned and Chaotic Evil): A widespread sect of Changers. They believe individuality is an aberration and will be removed, and that entropy is the natural state of things. They seek a null state devoid of independence and variety.

The Flame of Change (Good and Chaotic Evil): The Followers of the Flame believe in the cleansing power of fire, both figurative and literally. They believe that forests must burn for new growth to start and the longer fires are held back the more they rage. They teach that the old, dead, and cluttered must be wiped clean and started anew.

The Two Forces

Worship of fundamental powers is the most widespread and dominant religion of the Beltway, predating the Catastrophe. Many believe they are beyond good and evil however, the actions of worshipers can generally be classified as such. Followers revere one and adopt a related ethos, morality, and accepted dogma.

Common folk often describe the Forces as “gods” but scholars occasionally dispute this and claim they are powerful beliefs that can empower mortals and that shape the universe. While skeptics believe gods exist, they are typically thought of as powerful beings (often formerly mortal) empowered by one or both of the Forces. Some believe the Forces are merely a source of power that can be tapped into, while others believe they are beyond the mortal definition of awareness.

Creation and Destruction are seldom given personalities or anthropomorphized; they are sometimes not even associated with sentience. Most churches represent them through iconography or symbols. A rare few characterize them as human archetypes or give them genders (Destruction is typically male and Creation female, however halflings often reverse these).

Churches are found in most major cities (although they are hidden in most Grigoran cities) and a few larger cities have three or four in addition to small shrines. The two Forces seldom share churches, but more amiable factions often build across the street from each other. Churches tend to follow a particular dogma and be constructed related to that belief; more regimented and lawful sects build large, impressive churches while more chaotic branches move from place to place or hold impromptu gatherings.

There is little neutrality in the faiths. Some believe both Forces serve a purpose and that there must be a balance between Creation and Destruction, but most believe that their actions will significantly tip the cosmic balance. Others believe there is a battle for dominance between the Forces and that one must inevitably triumph and supersede the other.